Woodstock and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller House

Sunday, June 9, Day 48

The guys are off to climb one of  the White Mountains, Mount Ascutney.  It's the mountain we can see from their house.  For once, it's a sunny day with no rain in the forecast, so it looks like the window of opportunity they have been waiting for. 

Helle and I have a good day planned, too.  We are going to the town of Woodstock,  Vermont,  taking a little tour of the town, and then going to a nearby farm and historic house that was owned by a Rockefeller family. 

This is the beautiful Woodstock Inn. 

Lovely statuary - this one by the town library.

I don't know of many public libraries that look like this!

Everyone has out their summer flowers . This arrangement was in a doorway.

And a creek flows through the middle of town.

We went on to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park.   John and I had been to several large houses on this trip, so I was expecting more of the same.  However, I was in for a surprise!

The first owner of the house, George P. Marsh, grew up in Woodstock and was forbidden to read as a child, due to an eye problem.  So he went outdoors.  He was dismayed at the over logging of the lumber industry in Vermont. He served several terms in Congress, then became a diplomat, serving in Turkey, where he also saw the depletion of the land, and then he became the longest serving diplomat ever,  serving 20 years in Italy.   And he knew 20 languages.  While in Italy, he wrote a book called Man and Nature, an analysis of the human impact on nature.  This book became one of the founding texts of the environmental movement.  In fact, the book John has been reading, Guns Germs and Steel, attributes some of its thought to the Marsh book.

The property was purchased in 1869 by Frederick Billings, who had made his fortune as the ONLY lawyer in San Francisco at the beginning of the gold rush.  (Talk about being in the right place at the right time!)  He came back to Vermont and was dismayed at the barren hills, silted rivers and devastated countryside.  He decided to build a farm, using environmental practices, that would serve as a model.  He developed one of the first programs of scientific forest management. The trees he planted on the farm came from Europe, where he had seen the beginnings of forest management. (They too had logged almost all the trees and were experiencing soil erosion, climate change, etc. )

Such a lovely view from the veranda of the main house.  Most of this area was barren when Billings bought it.

Here's the Park Ranger holding a picture of George Marsh, the first owner.

And the second owner, Frederick Billings.  Billings went on to create the Northern Pacific Railroad and promote areas like Yosemite and Yellowstone to bring people out on the train.  I think it is ironic that he promoted tourism, which would severely impact the land, while also promoting conservation.  By the way, guess who Billings, Montana is named after?

After Billings died in 1890, his wife and three daughters kept the place going according to his will and in fact, made it prosper.  So how come they don't get their just recognition for 45 years of stewardship?  One of the daughters had a degree in Forestry!

And the third and last owner of the property was the granddaughter,  Mary Billings French and her husband Laurence Rockefeller.  He was the brother to Nelson Rockefeller and the grandson of the original guy, John D.    Laurence was instrumental in creating or enhancing over 20 national parks.  He was an advisor to five American Presidents on conservation and outdoor recreation.

When Mary died, Laurence donated the property, 550 acres, to the National Park Service.  It's the only one dedicated specifically to conservation.

This tree was one of many still standing planted by Frederick Billings in the 1870's.

After we toured the house, we took a drive along the Connecticut River.  The drive was on the Connecticut side,  looking right at the Vermont side.

I had Helle stop so I could take a picture  While I was doing so, she saw this old dog laying on a lawn and went over to pet her.  With great effort, the dog stood up to have her ears scratched.  I'm sure Helle made her life a little happier!

And this is the picture I wanted.  A new wooden bridge being built to take the place of one destroyed by Hurricane Irene.  I don't know --- they will have to do something drastic to give it the charm the old bridge must have had. 

Back at home, Per and John enjoyed a beer after their day's hike.  John found the hiking so much different than he was accustomed to.  It was really rocky for one thing, and the rains had made it very muddy.  This was what he been looking forward to, though, and  he was very happy with the hike, the company and the sunny day!

In the meantime, a girl's gotta shop, and Helle is showing them her day's purchase.

It's a cow in the Yoga Pigeon position! Complete with Yoga Mat, yet!  I know it will make her smile every time she looks at it.  

The long evening sun across the lawn, and the clear skies give us a view to Mount Ascutney.

We spotted this turtle down on the lawn close to the swimming pool.  My long zoom allowed me to capture this close up from the deck.

Here's Per checking it out.  She is laying her eggs.

Helle has prepared a delicious potato salad to go with our dinner, which is steaks on the grill. We had roasted red peppers on the side.  The salad had green onions, green beans, and a light vinaigrette dressing.  I'm writing the details because I want to remember to make this later!

Cesar, one of Per and Hell's Airdales, is asleep by the dining room table. She is getting old, and spends a lot of her time sleeping.  But she does come alive when it's time to get a treat, or perhaps gets to lick a plate after dinner .

Senilla, the other dog, is younger, and went on the hike today.  She looked up when she heard the camera, so she got a little blurry in the picture.

John and Per oversee the cooking of the steaks, and enjoy the evening sun.  It's been a wonderful visit and they were both such great hosts!